Some days are bound to be special in whatever respect. Things will happen unexpectedly beyond your imagination. Referring to a date that also surprised me from various perspectives. While just flipping the English Daily for the second time, one hour to clock as Noon; was anxious about how to spend the afternoon in a new place like this. Nowadays I live in a place of Bangalore which is away from the hassle bustle of daily chores. In a rare case, you will find big trees making canopy while you walk back to your home, a nice big cool (but not properly maintained) Lake, and lots of open space for your visual delight. You will hear the humming of the birds in almost every tree and some migratory birds even in the winter. It was (in fact, still now a part is therein) a village and urban culture slowly evading the rural mindset of people like everywhere. But, you will find people here compassionate, will be more helpful than others, and most importantly, you are among so many like-minded people. These prompted me to choose that place although it might take some extra time to reach any prominent destination.

Coming back, while thinking about how to spend some time and with an internal fight between going to a shopping mall or watch a movie with something constructive things if can be done; all of a sudden a place popped in my smartphone. There is a Heritage Packaging Museum in my vicinity. Sounds interesting. The name is itself self-explanatory, still, we know museums of other sorts – not so specific and unidirectional. Interest was doubled and went into further exploration only to find out that not so much information is available to quench my thirst. Luckily got the landline number to find a sweet-voiced lady with utter disbelief that there exists any museum at all. It is a Packaging House with a big volume of work going on for several years and are reputed in their circle, but a museum? Nah.

When I was mentally preparing myself to have dialed a wrong number and have to look for other alternatives, suddenly the Sun glimpsed for a while out of the thick black cloud. She told me not to disconnect the line and continued to talk with someone in her native language. You need not be a linguistic expert to catch hold of every foreign language, but the voice modulation and throwing of words assured me that she is asking for the same to someone whom she feels knowledgeable about. The person took over the call to know what am looking for and assured me to ring me back at the earliest with some information. It seemed to me in the same state when a candidate is told “Will get back to you soon” after the interview is over. Probability factors now will come into play and chances of accomplishment will depend on several external factors.

Searching was going on with an expectation of not receiving any sort of call back from that gentleman and to my utter surprise, he shared the contact details of the person who takes care of that different premise where the Museum is a part. My lunch went to a pause mode and my mind was traveling faster if somehow I can visit there today itself. It took me into a world of disbelief when I heard that I’m the only person who enquired about the Museum in the last 4-5 years and it needs a prior appointment to visit the museum. Stunned and utter disbelief crept into my mind and I was asking myself the reason for that. Luckily, he allowed me to meet him at his office and he could make necessary permissions if the green signal is received from the top level of the company. No one knows me neither I, so chances are bleak. Still, I jumped, finished my lunch, and started for the address he shared over the phone. It is inside an Industrial Estate and entering deeper into that area I started to believe that there can be nothing except factories like hundreds of others. Probably I wasted my time and could look for better alternatives. Everything I thought went wrong once I landed in the office.

The first question was a bullet to me, how do you know that there is a museum inside this premise? Was in dilemma, whether this is an interaction or interrogation. Somehow presented what actually I found and also what I didn’t find, so my aim was to bridge the missing link by visiting that place itself. I was asked to produce my identity which I always forget to carry; my official visiting card saved me this time and while having a cup of coffee, the fog was cleared. There is a museum inside this premise that is meant for the factory which was actually the start of the bigger versions that they are running in another place. But the Museum remains closed for 360 Days in a year unless any foreign delegate team visits the company or some close people of Management come to see what we had in past or for a few dignified persons associated with packaging, branding, and communication. I belong to None of this category but with a natural inclination towards the art and culture of our country. This ultimately became my “Bhramastro” (The Ultimate Weapon) to get access to the Museum and with full of cordiality, he fixed a person who will be with me throughout my journey to assist me.

Readers, you must have wondered hearing all those. If there is a museum, then there must be an entry and exit time. There might be a ticket counter. You have to purchase the ticket, can move inside, and explore what you can see from the demonstration as well as documentation (if available) mentioned therein. A guide may accompany you for some interesting facts and figures, but never heard that a museum gate has to be unlocked for a single person. Unique and special, indeed.

Here, I need to say something about the person who accompanied me. A qualified young chap, into the planning and strategy department of packaging, he has visited various countries due to his nature of the profession. Originally from Odhisa, he was also curious about what brought me here inside an Industrial Estate only to find a museum! Well, on my way to this place, I did a good round of homework on whatever information I received from various sources and suddenly found its top brass people even they are in my professional contact though I never explored them. And I started to shoot my queries one after another to find the missing link. He was generous enough to answer all of my questions (including some stupid ones) without any sign of annoyance.

The museum was started merely as a personal collection of several items by the family who runs it now. There was a mindset to preserve items that might not be available in the future and from that concept only, it started its journey. Till now you can find the similarity with Salarjung Museum of Hyderabad also where he single-handedly collected all the items kept in the museum and in a true sense, it is tough to see each and every item in a limited time. So huge the collection is. Same here, only the volume of the item differs and the nature of the products. It is all linked with the gradual packaging evolution in India.

Let’s have some unknown facts of packaging from my guide who knows it better than any of us. In ancient times, people used to store food, grain, liquid, and other precious items in animal skin, leaves, bark, mud, hollow gourds, etc. Gradually, paper, wooden barrels, crates came into existence for better preservation of items. Long-term food preservation took an important turn when Frenchman Nicolas Appert invented the glass can. Due to cost and fragileness, glass was replaced by economic products like iron and tin-plated steel to make cans. The world also saw the coming of paperboard and the invasion of plastic in every aspect of late.

This collection or museum whatever you call nicely demonstrates the passage of time, from ancient to modern in a sequential manner. The ground floor is spacious enough with neatly maintained racks and showcases for product display. You could find here from the tin container of the famous Amulspray or Ponds power to various types of wine bottles. Lata Mangeshkar Record cover made in cardboard is a must-see here, so as the gramaphone and typewriters. Visitors can be fascinated to see things like in case of Cadbury fry chocolate, velvet-lined cutlery kit, metal body leather carry case, wood finish valve radio, gun case of Tipu Sultan time, and many more.

Down Memory Lane

Aluminum tiffin carriers with coal space, eagle flask, the metamorphosis of Pepsi from three-piece welded container to can, transistor, sewing machine, liquor bottles, and many more items will force you to walk down into your childhood.

Facts n Figures

Another interesting aspect of this museum is its storytelling capacity through objects. You will find the evolution of packaging in documented format and even in visual – a bunch of suitcases bears the significance. Also, you will find a wooden box with several hidden compartments used by the royal family, several jewelry boxes, and cigar cases equally enthralling to watch.

Learning Curve

If you are an advert fan of advertising or into branding activities, then this museum is a must to see for you. The print advertisements of Coca Cola, Frooti, Heinz will teach you the a,b,c,d of advertising.

And don’t miss the vanity box, army hip flask, iron cast sewing machine, vintage record player, and another hundred items. Go for it.

Manjushree Heritage Museum of Packaging and Design, Bommasandra Industrial Estate, Electronic City, Bangalore is the brainchild of Mr. Vimal Kedia, Managing Director of Manjushree Technopack Ltd, who first thought of the same way back in 2002 and started to collect items for this museum from 2003 onwards. In 2009, it was made open for the public and immediately after 2 years, it has been featured in the Limca Book of World Records 2011 for its vast collection of packaging artifacts; the only museum of its kind in India.

Truly an experience to remember for a lifetime and worthy to be shared with you. Hope art and culture enthusiasts will find at least another destination to spend an hour or so to enrich themselves.

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© Saikat Gupta

Image(s) Source: Internet